The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ran the naval exercise as it has since the 1990s. Known as ANNUALEX 2021, the bore ran from November 21 to 30. According to a statement by the U.S. Navy, the five participating nations engaged in events to “ enhance maritime communication skills, anti-submarine war operations, air war operations, replenishments-at-sea, cross-deck flight operations and nautical interdiction maneuvers. ”
A month earlier, aircraft carriers from the U.S. vitamin a well as a japanese ship that accommodates helicopter landings participated in an practice in the like area, according to the Wall Street Journal .
Grant Newsham, a retire U.S. Marine colonel and a elder research worker at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, told VOA Mandarin that in late years, ascribable to the threats posed by China, the military use has doubled in realism.
“ A sum of 34 warships from the five countries conducted a 10-day exercise, demonstrating the importance of this exert, ” Newsham told VOA in a phone interview .
He added that while it is routine for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force to conduct exercises, “ it ’ s the broader context in which the practice is happening that adds a certain urgency ” as “ China ’ sulfur People ’ south Liberation Army is increasingly aggressive and spewing threats throughout the region. ”
Wang Tsun-yen, a research mate at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan, echoed Newsham ’ s thoughts about China ’ mho position .
“ If we think back to the operations of Chinese and russian warships around Japan this year, those operations that about circled Japan ‘s territory are identical provocative for Japan, therefore nowadays countries outside the Indo-Pacific region have come to support Japan, ” Wang told VOA Mandarin in a telephone interview .
“ The expansion of joint military exercises is sufficient to let China and Russia know that Japan is not alone, and it is not only the U.S. military that supports Japan, ” Wang said .
In September, Japan ’ s defense ministry said what were believed to be a chinese submarine and a chinese destroyer were spotted near Amami Oshima island, according to Reuters.
Earlier this class, China accused the U.S. fleet operate in the South China Sea of increasing regional security risks, “ misunderstandings, misjudgments, and accidents at sea. ”
Washington does not recognize Beijing ’ s claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, an area of strategic contest between the two nations .
According to a November 22 report by China ’ s state-backed news wall socket Global Times, China ’ s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Tan Kefei said that “ individual countries have been vocal in support of freedom and receptiveness, but in fact they have formed gangs to exert pressure on other countries. ” He called this a Cold War brain contrary to promoting cooperation in the region .
Newsham said the choice of the location for the joint exercise is related to a November 18 incident in which Chinese slide guard vessels shoot water cannons at two filipino boats resupplying philippine troops at a quarrel South China Sea school, according to the Associated Press .
China claims more than 95 % of the South China Sea region .
It has continued to engage in island build campaigns – some 1,300 hectares of bantam islets have been landfilled to sustain military infrastructure including runways long adequate to accommodate bombers .
Newsham added the frequency and saturation of military exercises of the Japan Self-Defense Force has grown to reflect China ’ south increased presence in the area .
“ You ‘ll note that Japan is exercising with three countries besides the United States in what is effectively a ‘warfighting ‘ exercise. not thus many years ago this would have been politically impossible owing to Japan ‘s self-imposed legal restraints and fears of being seen as engaging in ‘collective self-defense ‘ – purportedly prohibited by Japan ‘s fundamental law, ” he said .
“ Nowadays, however, a multinational use like ANNUALEX provokes no populace or political push-back. China has indeed shifted japanese think towards defense, ” Newsham added .
fair five days before ANNUALEX 2021 began, Japan and the U.S. conducted their first anti-submarine war exercise in the South China Sea, according to the japanese Navy .
Newsham said that there will likely be more joint military exercises in the region.
“ Exercising in the South China Sea with the Americans is at least in separate a message to China that the Americans and japanese wo n’t be intimidated, ” he continued, pointing out that not so long ago the Japanese would have avoided exercises with the Americans in the South China Sea for fear of upsetting the Chinese .
“ Japan nowadays seems willing to take that risk, ” Newsham added .
